TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee lashed out at Sangma at a rally on Friday. (Twitter/File)
Coal mining in Meghalaya has been a crucial issue since the NGT banned it in 2014. In 2019, the SC lifted the ban, stating the local tribals are the owners of their land and the minerals beneath. The SC asked for scientific mining to be implemented
With illegal coal mining still on, despite promises to end it, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma is now under attack from all opposition parties ahead of the elections.
Blaming Sangma, from the National People’s Party (NPP), for failing to check coal mining, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee, at rally on Friday, said that the “money was going into the pockets of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Guwahati and Delhi”. In an official statement, however, the BJP, too, on Friday slammed Sangma on the coal issue.
“There have been no Enforcement Directorate-Central Bureau of Investigation raids in Meghalaya. There has been an embargo from the Hon’ble Court. Still, rat-hole and illegal mining is going on. Who is this money going to? This is your money. But this money is going into the pockets of leaders and BJP leaders in Guwahati and Delhi,” he said.
Coal mining in Meghalaya has been a crucial and controversial issue since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned it in 2014. In 2019, the Supreme Court lifted the ban stating that the local tribals are the owners of their land and the minerals beneath. The apex court asked for scientific mining to be implemented. The standard operating procedure for mining was framed by the central and state governments in March 2022 and 17 miners applied for the licence.
Sangma had earlier said: “In the recent meeting held by the Government of India, the Ministry of Coal has finally given us in writing where the geological reports submitted by four miners have been approved. The four applicants, approved by the Government of India, will submit their mining plan as per norms laid down by both the central and state governments. We expect that licenses should shortly be given to the four miners.”
UNSAFE
Illegal rat-hole minings have taken a lot of lives in the state until now.
On December 13, 2018, 15 miners died when an illegal “rat-hole” mine — deep narrow tunnels dug into the ground to find coal — at Ksan was flooded by water from the nearby Lytein river. In the wake of the accident, the NGT had fined the state Rs 100 crore for illegal coal mining.
On January 21, 2021, in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, six miners fell 170 feet to their death at a coal mine in the Sorkari Dienshanlalu village near Rymbai.
ACTION ON GROUND
After lifting of the ban on mining recently, the Meghalaya High Court said the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) can have a more aggressive role to control and monitor the illegal mining and transportation of coal in the hill state.
The bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee had instructed Justice (Retd) BK Katakey to work out the modalities of control. The Meghalaya HC had asked the government to indicate the number of Central Armed Police Force personnel required to effectively monitor and check illegal mining and transportation of coal in the state.
The order had stated, “The state, which has thus far been ineffective in either implementing the ban or in checking illegal transportation, is given a lesser role in the further monitoring and CRPF can have a more aggressive role in such regard. The state will indicate the ideal number of companies of (capf) personnel necessary to effectively monitor and check the prohibition on unscientific mining of coal, including rat-hole mining, and the transportation of the recently illegally mined coal.”
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